Half to august giese



5 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

F. AQWESSEL. MECHANISM FOR CARRYING WIRES THROUGH GONDUITS.

Patented Apr. 14

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WITNESSES:

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(No M del.) 5 sheets-51mm a. P. A. WES-SET...

MECHANISM FOR CARRYING WIRES THROUGH 'GONDUITS.

No. 450,206. Patented Apr. 14,1891.

W/T/VESSES: t Vl/ENTOI? fidmo qfar ATTORNEYS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

F. A. WESSEL. MECHANISM FOR CARRYING WIRES THROUGH CONDUITS. No.450,206;

Patented Apr. 14,1891.

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(No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 5. F. A. WESSEL. MECHANISM FOR CARRYING WIRESTHROUGH GONDUITS. No. 450,206.

Patented Apr. 14, 1891.

/ INVE/I/TDH BY Z9MzW ,1. $41,321

% ATTORNEYS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT V OFFICE.

FERDINAND A. WESSEL, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR or oNE- HALF TOAUGUST GIESE, OF SAME PLACE.

MECHANISM FOR CARRYING WIRES THROUGH GONDUII'S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,206, dated April14, 1891.

Application filed September 24, 1890. Serial No. 365,949. (No model.)

To all whom it nmy concern: I I

Be it known that I, FERDINAND A. WEssEL, a resident of Brooklyn, Kingscounty, State of New York, have invented Improved Mechanism forThreading Vires and the Like Through Pipes, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart thereof, wherein Figure 1 is a top view, partly in section, of twoconduits, one of which is shown in section, with my improvedwire-carrying mechanism in position for action. Fig. l is a top view ofmy improved mechanism, showing it contained within a conduit, which isrepresented in section, the two carriages of my mechanism being apart.Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, but representing the two carriagesin contact. Fig.3is a side view of my improved mechanism with thecarriages in contact, the mechanism being represented in a subway, whichappears in section. Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged horizontal sections onthe line kk', Fig. 6, of the outermost or loose carriage, showing theclamps respectively drawnin and pushed out. Fig. 6 is a detail verticalsection on the lines 0 0 Figs. 2 and 4, of the last-referred-tocarriage. Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section on the plane of the line0' c, Fig. 1, looking outwardly-that is, in the direction of the arrowplaced near said sectionline 0 0', but showing the pins in the other endof the slots as they appear when the clamp is forced out. Fig. 8 is adetail crosssection through the wire-carrying mechanism and through theconduit embracing the same, the line k k Fig. 6, indicating the plane ofsection. Fig. 9 is an enlarged top view of the innermost end of thewire-carrying mechanism; and Fig. 10 is a detail vertical section ofsaid end on the line 0 0 Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a top view of a modificationof my improved mechanism, showing it within a conduit, which isrepresented in section; and Fig. 12 is a side View of said modification,showingit likewise within a conduit represented in section.

The object of this invention is to provide means for drawing a wire, acable, a rope, or analogous thread through a long tube or conduit fromend .to end when such tube or conduit has no facility for placing suchthread into it through any longitudinal opening in other words, a long.tube open only at its ends is by my mechanism to be threaded with a wireor cable or the like, so that for telegraphic, telephonic, and otherelectrical conductors ready means for placing them within conduitsalready in position shallbe provided.

To this end my invention mainly consists of two self-clamping carriagesand a suitable mechanism to move them from and to one another, one ofsaid carriages being shown secured to a carrier or stem, while the otheris shown adapted to slide on saidv shank or stem, the combinationoperating in such a manner that while the outer carriage clamps itselftight within the conduit it is utilized as a bearing for drawing thestem and the remaining carriage inward, after which the inner carriageclamps itself tight in the conduit and allows the outer carriage to bedrawn up toward it, and thus a wire or set of wires attached to thecentral stem or carrier can gradually, by a step-by-step motion, bemoved into and ,through the entire length of the tube.

In order to give a clear description of this invention with reference tothe drawings, (omitting for the present Figs. 11 and 12,) I will nowproceed to describe said drawings.

In the same the letter A represents a suitable tube or conduit throughwhich the wires 13 B (see Fig. 1) are to be drawn, or, inother words,the tube A is to be threaded with the wires B. These wires are securedby tying 01' otherwise to a stein or carrier 0, which is as long asnecessary for the purpose of this mechanisniand straight fora straighttube, but may be correspondingly curved for a curved tube. Supposing thestem 0 to be inserted into the tube A so that one end enters the tubewhile the other slightly projects therefrom, as in Fig. 1, we will callthe one end which enters the tube the innerand the other end, whichprojects therefrom, the outer end of the stem or shank. To the inner endis secured by a bolt a what I call the inner carriage D, and at adistance outward from this inner carriage D is fitted so as to be ableto freely slide the outer or sliding carriage E. The

two carriages D and E are connected with being hung in the plates 6.

each other by strong springs F F, which have the tendency, normally, todraw the two carriages D E close together, asin Figs. 2 and 3, but whichpermit said carriages to be moved asunder, as in Fig. 1.

In the drawings the stem or shank C is represented as being composed oftwo long parallel bars I) b, which are rigidly connected together by across-pin (Z at or near their outer ends, but which otherwise leave afree longitudinal passage between them for the play of the carriages andtheir parts, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

I will now proceed to describe the construction of the outer or slidingcarriage E. The said carriage consists, mainly, of a rigid frame whichembraces the stem or shank O, and which is composed of two plates 6 e,that may have projecting ribs 6 6 as shown in Fig. 8. Each of saidplates has the length of the carriage itself, the said plates beingunited into a rigid structure by vertical connecting-pieces g, therebeing also horizontal connectingpiecesf between the ribs 6 forfurnishing an attachment to the end of the spring F. The frame 6 g ofthis carriage E thus constructed is free to slide on the stem or shankO, and in turn the stem or shank C is free to slide within said carriageE. Near the inner end of the carriage E is placed a sliding bolt h,which carries side lugs or a cross-piece 7L2, that connects by springs'i with the inner end of the carriage E, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

G G are clamp-plates for clamping the car riageE to the tube A. Theseclamp-plates are pivotally connected at j to the laterally-slottedcross-piece 71 the pivot-pins j passing also into slanting or convergingslots Z of the plates 6. The outer end of each clamp-plate has a pin m,that enters into a slanting slot 12, provided for its reception in theplate a. The edges of the two clamps G G, that face each other,arerespectively parallel with the inclination of the slots Z n and are incontact with frictionrollers 0, which are carried by the carriage E, Itwill appear from a comparison of Figs. 4 and 5 that whenever the bolthis moved outwardthat is, to the right in Fig. 4:so as to strain thesprings i the clamps G G will be made to approach one another, whereaswhenever the bolt 71 is drawn inward by the springs 2', as in Fig. 5, itwill draw the clamps with it, and will thereby bring them into the outerparts of the slots Z n, so as to expand said clamps. It follows thatwhenever the springs 11 are not strained theclamps are expandedsufficient to securely hold the carriage fast in the tube, but thatwhenever the springs t are extended the clamps are loosened, being drawninward.

As far as I have now described the construction of the carriage E theforegoing description applies to the construction also of the innercarriage D, and I shall not, there fore, give any further attention tothe description of the inner carriage, except to state that the innercarriage is securely attached to the stem or shank O by the pin or. bolta, as in Figs. 9 and 10; but the outer carriage E has one additionalelement which is not found in the inner-to wit, a pulley orfriction-roller 19, secured in its outer end, for receiving around it arope H, by which the instrument is actuated.

Having now fully described the construc tion of my mechanism, I willproceed to describe its operation. A wire, cable, or thread to be passedthrough the tube A is attached, as in Fig. 1, to the outer end of thestem or shank Onamely, to the pin d, which for this purpose is formed onthe said stem or shank; but of course any other means for permitting aconvenient attachment of the wires may be provided on the said stem orshank. The rope H is now laid around the pulley p, and one end of saidrope is then tied to the pin 01. The other end of the rope is free to begrasped by the operator and must be of a length at least equal to thelength of thetube A. The instrument which I have described, and which isnow ready for operation, is now inserted into the tube A through oneopen end of said tube, it being of course understood that the clamps G Gon the carriages are so proportioned that when expanded they willsecurely hold their respective carriages in the tube. hen now theattendant pulls on the free end of the rope H, the first effect is todraw the carriage E slightly outward until the clamps G take atightholdonv the inner face of the tube A, the springs 11 of the carriage E beingunstrained at this stage of the proceeding. A further pull on the ropewill now propel the stem 0 forward, and withit the inner carriage D,which, as soon as the inward motion commences, strains its springs i,and thereby releases its hold on the tube. Hence as long as the operatorpulls on the rope the carriage E remains stationary, and the stem orshank O, withthe carriage D, is moved or drawn inward into the tube,Thereuponthat is, as soon as the pin 61 has approached the pulley p asnear as practicable the operator lets go of the rope H, and immediatelyupon so doing the clamps G of the inner earriage grip the inner side ofthe tube and hold fast, thereby enabling the springs F F to pull theouter carriage E inward, which said springs are enabled to do becausethe clamps G of the outer carriage relax their hold the moment theinward pull begins. In. other words, each of the carriages is arrangedto automatically clamp itself in the tube when there is no strain uponit or when there is a strain or pull upon it in an outward direction andto automatically let go of this grip as soon as a pull in an inwarddirection is applied, and thus it is that while the attendant pulls onthe rope H the carriage E is stationary and the carriage D is advancedby the direct pull of the operator, and that when the attendant lets goof the rope the carriage D remains stationary and the carriage E isadvanced by the contraction of the springs F, and thus by a stepby-stepmotion the alternate pulling and relasing of the rope lI causes theentire inachinery which I have thus described to pass along in the tubeA until finally it emanates from the farther open end thereof or reachesany other desired position therein. From this farther end the entiremachine can be conveniently withdrawn from the tube, because, as I havealready stated, both sets of clamps relax their hold as soon as theirrespective carriages are moved in the direction which I have termed theinward direction, which will be the discharge direction at the fartherend of the tube.

The modification which is shown in Figs. 11 and 12 differs from theconstruction heretotore described only in the location of the pulleypand spring F. In this modification the pulley p is hung in the innercarriage D, and the two carriages D E are not connected together by thespring F; but instead the spring F connects the outer carriage E withthe outer part of the stem or shank O, the result being that when therope H is pulled the inner carriage D remains stationary, the outercarriage E is pulled inward, and thespring F strained, and when,afterward, the rope H is relaxed the outer carriage E clamps itselftight, allowing the spring F to pull the shank Y C, and with itthe innercarriage D, ahead, and

1. In a wire-threading device, the combination of the shank C with aself-clamping carriage D, rigidly fastened thereto, and with anotherclamping-carriage E,which runs on said shank C, and with a contractingspring or springs F for drawing the carriages toward each other,substantially as herein shown and described.

2. In a wire-threading device, the combination of the shank O, thecarriages D E, the contracting spring F between said carriages, thepulley p on the running carriage E, and the rope II, fastened to shank Cby the pin (1, all arranged substantially as specified.

3. The carriage E, composed of the plates e and the verticalconnecting-pieces g,in combination with the sliding bolt h, bolt-springsi, and clamps G G, the plates e being'provided with slanting slots topermit of an outward and inward motion of the clamps, substantially asherein shown and described.

at. In a wire-threading device, the combination of the shank O, thecontracting springs F, and the carriages D E, each of said carriagesbeing composed of plates e, a sliding bolt h, the bolt-springs 2', theclamps G G, and the vertical plate-connecting piece g, said plates ehaving diverging slots which permit the outward and inward motion of theclamps, substantially as specified.

FERDINAND A. VESSEL.

Witnesses:

HENRY M TURK, GUsTAv SOHNEPPE.

